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(No Model.) 6 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. K. DATHAN.

. MUSIGAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 566,146. Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

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L. K. DATHAN.

MUSIGAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 566,146. r Patented Aug. 18, 1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

LOUIS K. DATHAN, BROOKLYN, NEl/V YORK.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 566,146, dated August 18, 1896.

, Application filed February 28,1896. Serial No. 681,126. drummer.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS K. DATHAN, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Musical Instrument, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The invention relates to stringed musical instruments-such as citherns, autoharps, &c. and the object of the invention is to provide a new and improved musical instrument arranged to enable the player to execute the desired music with great ease and to permit of readily and quickly tuning the instrument whenever required.

The invention consists principally of a binding and tuning bridge adapted to engage the strings between two parallel bridges to permit of tuning the strings belonging to an octave to one note or a single tone and then applying the binding-bridge and tuning all the notes simultaneously, according to the scale.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter, and then pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the same on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectional plan View of the auxiliary wrest-pin with the string applied, and Fig. 5 is a similar view of the same in a different position.

The musical instrument is provided with a suitable body A, over which are stretched the full-tone or melody strings B, arranged in groups each containing an octave. Over the body A are also stretched the accompanimentstrings O, preferably arranged in groups forming chords, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 1.

The strings B G are stretched over bridges D D, arranged approximately parallel to each other, with the strings fastened to fixed pins E on the front end of the body A and to wrestpins E, mounted in the body in the rear of the bridges D. By using the usual tuninghammer the operator can readily turn the wrest-pins E to tune the strings of a group to one note, so that they all sound alike, a very fine adjustment being obtained by the employment of an auxiliary wrest-pin E arranged between the bridge D and the Wrestpins E. Each string passes through an opening in the auxiliary wrest-pin E, as indicated in Fig. 5, and when the string has been tuned to nearly a quartentone by turning the wrestpin E, then a final adjustment can be made by turning the wrest-pin E until the tone is perfect. (See Fig. 4.)

lVhen the strings have been tuned in each group or octave to one note or tone, then an auxilary binding-bridge F is moved in engagement with the strings between the bridges D D. This auxiliary bindin g-bridge F extends angularly relatively to the strings, and when fastened in place simultaneously gives the previously-tuned strings the desired value in the octave.

The bridge F is preferably made of a series of blocks F, secured to the top of the body Awith a string passing over the top of each block and the string being pressed and securely bound in place on this block bya block F secured to the under side of a top plate F fastened by screws or other means to the body of theinstrument. Now it will be seen that when the top plate F is removed the strings extend freely between the bridges D D and can be tuned, as above described, to a single tone, and then when the top plate F is screwed down the several strings are bound in place between the bridges to obtain the proper value of the strings in the octave.

The accompaniment-strings O are tuned similarly to the melody-strings B by the use of an auxiliary bridge F, preferably made with a large top plate to form a hand-rest and enable the operator to conveniently play the accompaniment-strings. The strings B, representing the semitones or sharps in the melody-strings, are arranged at a different plane to the strings B, to permit the operator to readily find said strings and pick the same whenever the music calls for it.

As illustrated in the drawings, the strings B are located above the strings B and begin a distance inward from the bridge D, said strings B passing over a separate bridge D supported from the body A and provided with openings for the free passage of the strings B. The outer rear ends of the strings B pass over the bridges D and are tuned the same as the other strings B by the employ ment of the binding-bridge F. The strings B are fastened at their front ends on fixed pins E similar to the pins E. The strings C for the bridge D in the accompaniment are arranged in a different plane to the strings G and are similar to the strings 13.

The several bridges D D D are preferably provided with curved removable plates, over which pass the strings, these plates being preferably made of metal and held loosely on the wooden back of the bridge. It will be seen that an instrument arranged in the manner described permits of conveniently picking the strings to properly execute the desired music, and the strings can be readily tuned whenever deemed necessary.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A musical instrument, provided with two bridges arranged approximately parallel one to the other, and over which pass the strings tuned to the same note, and a binding or tuning bridge adapted to engage the strings between said bridges, to give the proper value to the strings, substantially as shown and described.

2. A musical instrument, provided with a set of strings to produce semitones and a set of strings to produce ordinary full tones, bridges arranged to receive the said strings and to permit of tuning the same to one tone, and a binding and tuning bridge adapted to engage the strings between the bridges to give the proper value to the strings, substantially as shown and described.

3. A musical instrument provided with a set of semitone-strings, and a set of ordinary full-tone strings, each of the semitone-strings being arranged between the adjacent fulltone strings and above or in front of the same, bridges arranged to receive the said strings and to permit of tuning the same to one tone, and a binding and tuning bridge extending angularly relative to the strings and adapted to engage the said strings between the bridges to give the proper value to the strings, substantially as shown and described.

i. A musical instrument, comprising a body, bridges arranged approximately parallel one to the other to receive the strings and to permit of tuning the same to one tone, a binding and tuning bridge arranged be tween said bridges and eon'iprising blocks secured to said body and over which pass the strings, and a top plate provided with lugs on its under side, to engage the strings and press the same in contact with said blocks, substantially as shown and described.

5. A musical instrument provided with a front and rear bridge, wrest-pins in the rear of the said rear bridge, auxiliary wrest-pins arranged between the rear bridge and the ordinary wrest-pins and each provided with an opening for the passage of the strings, where by the strings in an octave or chord may be readily tuned to the same note, and a binding and tuning bridge arranged between the front and rear bridges and adapted to engage the strings to permit of giving the proper value to the same, substantially as shown. and described.

LOUIS K. DATHAN.

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